Yes Option Will not Compete with Null or Blank Votes

Blank and null votes will not have the same relevance as the Yes and No will have in the forthcoming referendum to be held on May 7 in Ecuador. This is due to recent rule changes that the Constituent Assembly did in relation to the scrutiny of referendums and plebiscites, giving the Government and sectional authorities , which are usually those who design consultation, wide lead.

Article #106 of the Montecristi Constitution indicates that only the options YES and NO will be considered valid in the count and indicates that for a referendum result to be approved it is necessary to have half plus one of the support, that means the Yes option must overcome to No, the null and blank votes will not be valid.

According to pollster Cedatos, 67% of the population still has no a definite position. “There is ignorance on the issues to be considered in the referendum. 11% of respondents know something about the issues and less than 1% manages the contents of the questions,” said Cedatos.

Source: El Comercio Newspaper